Incoming Student Scholarships

For Incoming Freshmen and Transfer Students

Columbia offers a variety of both merit- and need/merit-based scholarships. Once you’ve been admitted to Columbia, you will automatically be considered for a merit-based scholarship. If you’d like to be considered for a need/merit-based scholarship, you must complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) soon after January 1. Take some time to review eligibility criteria for Columbia’s scholarships below:

Achievement Award: Merit and Financial Need based program. Open to high school seniors entering Columbia for the first time who demonstrated academic achievement through high school transcripts and standardized test scores (if applicable) and demonstrate financial need through a completed FAFSA. Further details on the Achievement Award are available here.

Award amount: $6000 to $11,000 per academic year

Open Doors Scholarship:Merit and Financial Need based program. Open to high school seniors who will graduate from Chicago Public School in Spring 2014, have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher, and demonstrate financial need through a completed FAFSA. Further details on the Open Doors Scholarship are available here.

Award amount: $7,000 to $8,000 per academic year

Trustee Award: Merit based program. Open to high school seniors who have exceptional academic achievement, such as very high grade point averages earned through advanced-level coursework in a college prep program standardized test scores that exceed national averages, etc. Further details on the Trustee Award are available here.

Award amount: $5,000 per academic year

﻿Transfer Achievement Award:Merit and Financial Need based program. Open to incoming transfer students who have earned no more than 60 transferable credit hours from an accredited college, university, or community college, have earned high academic achievement from the college most recently attended, and who demonstrate financial need through a complete FAFSA, Further details on the Transfer Achievement Award are available here.

Award Amount: $6,000 per academic year

Scholarships Requiring Additional Materials

Joan and Irving Harris Scholar Award

The Joan and Irving Harris Scholar Award is open to incoming freshmen and transfer students with an intended major in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Teacher Certification who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

The amount of this renewable award is up to $5,000 per academic year.

An essay submission is required in order to be considered for this scholarship. You may submit your essay through Columbia's online portfolio portal.

Further details and essay instructions for the Joan and Irving Harris Scholar Award are available here.

Make a Dent Scholarship

The Make a Dent Scholarship is open to incoming freshmen and transfer students who have demonstrated a commitment to the field of Sports Management, have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and demonstrate financial need through a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA.)

The amount of this one-year award is up to $5,000.

An essay submission is required in order to be considered for this scholarship. You may submit your essay through Columbia's online portfolio portal.

Further details and essay instructions for the Make a Dent Scholarship are available here.

Poetry Scholarship

The Poetry Scholarship is open to incoming freshmen and transfer students who intend to study poetry and understand that they must register for a Poetry Workshop during their first year of enrollment at Columbia.

The amount of this one-year award is $1,500.

The submission of an essay as well as samples of your poetry are required in order to be considered for this scholarship. You may submit your essay and poetry samples through Columbia's online portfolio portal.

Further details and essay / sample instructions for the Poetry Scholarship are available here.

Presidential Scholarship

The Presidential Scholarship is open to incoming freshmen and transfer students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and who are able to submit creative samples of their work (portfolio) that demonstrate strong accomplishment, talent, or ability in their intended area of study. Transfer students must have earned no more than 60 transferable credit hours from their previous instutition(s).

The amount of this renewable award is up to $8,000 per academic year.

The submission of a portfolio of creative work is required to be considered for this scholarship. If you have submitted a portfolio along with your admissions application, you will automatically be considered for the Presidential Scholarship and a second portfolio submission is not necessary. You may submit your portfolio through Columbia's online portfolio portal.

Further details and portfolio instructions for the Presidential Scholarship are available here.